Week 7 -No matter where you turn it's always a head wind in Slagelse

Hello everyone,

Mission president and his wife - President O'Bryant, Søster Perkins, me, Sister O'Bryant

hej, goddag! <that's what i say to everyone as I bike past them in my new area of Slagelse on the island of Sjælland. West Sjælland to be exact. The same isalnd that København is on. It's incredible. The cobblestone streets are breathtaking, there's a huge Catholic church right in the middle a 5 minute ride from our cute little apartment that rings bells on the hour. Sorry if my english is terrible. Now that all I hear is danish I can't use good english nor can i use good danish haha oh well. c'est la vie. that's french..

Søster Perkins and I in this quaint and adorable path...

Fun Facts about Danmark -

1. it's always a head wind, even when you have to turn around you turn back around somehow into a head wind. So fun.

2. danish moms leave their babies in strollers (fancy bassinet strollers I might add) outside with a baby monitor everywhere - grocery stores, church, their own homes, everywhere. It's supposedly supposed to make their babies stronger or something. Like a crazy danish super baby or something..

3. The food is incredible. cheese, and pork, and potatoes, and this crazy rød grød that you put cream and sugar on, and kebabs, and ugh it's all so good. except for peas and carrots.

4. The people here are kinda friendly...

5. the language is dang hard. I cannot understand anything that is being said to me - it's a blasty blast.

6. The weather is cold, windy, windy, rainy, cold, windy, and windy. The sun shines sometimes. That's nice.

A cute park in Denmark

Fun stories from the week:

1. While going around kontakting people earlier this week we would stop and ask people how they found peace in their lives. One older gentleman replies back "I stick my finger in my belly button!" starts laughing super hard, pats me on the shoulder and bumbles away. Søster Perkins and I were dying.

2. Slagelse Ward Primary Program - Danish wards sure know how to put on a primary program. There are maybe 10 primary kids in our ward of 60. And they were a HOOT. one little boy had a stuff dinosaur and when he went up to share his part the dinosaur went up with him and good thing the little boy (his name is Hannibal, hopefully he's not a cannibal, but anyways...) Hannibal had to stop the dinosaur from eating the microphone! Hannibal to the rescue! The kids are so cute. It's so fun.

3. The bishop asked me to bear my testimony during sacrament meeting to introduce myself and whatnot. It went well...also a fun thing about the church in Denmark is everyone addresses each other by their first name. The Bishop introduced himself to me as Michæl which is always a fun time. 

got to visit the actualy Kristus in Fredericksborg our first day. It's an incredible thing with an increible spirit about it. 

Ok now down to business. I am in Slagelse. The Slagelse Ward is pretty much the entire western half of Sjælland which is crazy. We bike. We bike everywhere. Luckily, we have another companionship of elders in our area and they're the zone leaders with a car so they cover the super far parts and we cover the not so far parts but my legs are tired. My companion is Søster Perkins and she is great. I love her so much, we work hard and have fun and I'm so grateful for her. 

                                          The Kristus. 

Statues of the other 12

We have a few investigator friends that we teach and lots of inactive members we teach and visit. They're so friendly and lovely and I just love these people so much. I love this opportunity I have to be here in this incredible country. It is so great. Come wind or rain or snow or sun I know I this is where I'm supposed to be. It's incredible. 

Love you all! I'll send some pic swips in a minute. There's a few...have a happy Monday and a safe week and make somebody else happy today!

When we love we can come closer to our Savior because Christ is love. When we love others we show our love for Him. Keep it in mind and share it with the worlddddd

love you alllll

last picture of the zone at the MTC - provo temple holla

just trying to get in the dansk spirit
​

Kærelighed,

Søster Chesley

week 6 -jeg er i Danmark

Oh my goodness everybody.

Ok I'm in the mission home in Frederikberg Kobenhavn and I'm safe. We ended up having a 3hr layover in Chicago and a 5 hour layover in London.

London was interesting

But I am in Copenhagen, we lost one of my bags so hopefully that shows up in the next day or two...

I can't understand anything anybody says in Danish - me and the Elders in the district are cracking up. I'm exhausted and in the mission home and so so happy to finally be here.

I'm safe and I'm about to go take a hot shower and just fall asleep for a long time

We'll be assigned our trainers and new areas after President O'Bryant interview us.

Also, Dad - the O'Bryant's were in the Netherlands/Belgium working during the time you were a missionary and were good friends with President Barrett (maybe?) 

Anyways, I love you all so much! Have a great night! I'll be writing Monday as well! 

Time warps are crazy. It's 8:58pm here. (we got this noon on Tuesday)

We ate a delicious classic Danish meal of pork, these meatball things, red cabbage, and the yummiest potatoes I've ever had in my entire life. 

Love you all! Talk to you Monday! Be safe!

Love,

tt

Week 5 -SLC>CHICAGO>LONDON>KØBENHAVN

HALLO 

So, again, this week flew by. I do not understand how it happens but it does. C'est la vie...

Ok, I got a haircut last Thursday and am getting it done again today - just cutting it short in the back so I don't have t cut it at all in Danmark (that's how you spell Denmark in dansk)

TRAVEL PLANS CAME LAST FRIDAY HOLLA HOLLA PEACE AND LOVE ZOO WEE MAMA

So -we check out of the MTC at 8am(ut time) Monday morning. Our flight leaves from Salt Lake at 1:25pm(UT time) we fly into CHICAGO and we get in around 5:30(IL time) (time zones are hard)OK NEXT - we have a 45 minute layover in Chicago then leave for LONDON at 6:30pm (IL time) and get into London 8:05am (London time -gross right?) THEN a 2 hour layover and our flight leaves for København (how the danish spell Copenhagen) at 9:55am(London time) THEN we leave for København and get in at 12:50pm Tuesday the 20th (Danmark time) 

3hr flight

The district at our evening temple walk.

45min layover

8hr flight

2hr layover

2hr flight

København.

It´s really happening everybody...

Also, there´s an Ældste in my district, Ældste Howe who can finish a Rubik´s cube in 30 seconds. I´m not lying, sometimes it´s 45 seconds. It´s the craziest thing I´ve ever seen. So, he taught me how to complete the first two rows on the cube...it´s so fun. I want one and just want to mess with it all the days.

So, one of my teachers, Brother Whitlock (No relation to the Whitlock's we know, I asked) asked me this question and I got all teary-eyed (allergies man...they're killer...) and I don´t think he expected that. "Why did you serve a mission Søster Chesley?" I told him and later that night I thought about it more and came up with this answer:

1. I know this is what God wants me to be doing right now.

2. I know God loves me and answers my prayers.

3. I know that I love God.

4. I know that God knows me personally and is there for me lean on Him always. He's been there with me this whole time of me trying to get out here and to this point, patiently waiting to get my stuff together.

5. I love this Gospel. I see and know firsthand the happiness it brings and the peace I feel in my life from it. 

6. The experience - learning a different language, immersing myself in a different culture and developing an ever growing love for the people I'll be serving and the people I'll come in contact with.

life is good everybody.

UPDATE IN THE LEARNING DANISH DEPARTMENT: So found out earlier this week that the Danes speak in passive voice. So American professors and teachers you have not prepared me well for this point in my life by crushing the passive voice out of my thoughts and sentence structure. For example -

In America we use active : we taught the lesson

In Denmark they use passive: the lesson was taught by us, the food as eaten by us, etc, etc...

it's a totally different way of thinking and way hard ha but it's a fun challenge.

Provo Temple mixed with some patriotism

On Tuesday, we got to listen to Elder and Sister Clayton -Elder Clayton is in the presidency of the 70, it was cool. BUT what was really cool was this story his wife told. They were in Uganda in Ginja(No idea how to spell it...Kendall will probably know what I'm talking abuot) ANYWAYS -they were in Ginja and 900 members came out for a district meeting tthey didn't have enough room in the building so they put up a tent in the middle of August to listen to the words of leaders in the area. One sister afterwards came up to Sister Clayton and said "A lot of people talk about how sometimes the glass is half empty or half full, I was thinking about this. We here in Africa are grateful if we have a glass, and we're even more grateful if there's anything in it." That was like BOOM perspective HAD. We are so blessed. Miracles are happening everyday. Look for the tender mercies, because theyr're out there. 

I love you all so much. tak tak tak tak tak tak mange tak for the love and support. 

This time next week I'll be in Danmark speaking with the Danes in my very broken danish and eating danish food and taking pictures everywhere I go and teaching the Danes. I'm excited if you couldn't tell.

I ELSKES AF MIG!

Kærelighed,

Søster TM Chesley

keep it groovy you funky cats.

Week 4 - In the Summertime When the Weather is Hot

øØæÆåÅ

So - I'm here at the MTC and that song in the subject line goes off on some teacher's phone. I haven't heard outside music in a MONTH and oh my goodness it was a breath of fresh air and it will be stuck in my head probably until I leave the MTC....

WHICH will be in LESS THAN 2 WEEKS! WE get travel plans on Friday HAHA. zoo wee mama.

That's insane. Didn't I just get here? This month has FLOWN by. Freaky...

anddd here's me enjoying the fruits of the package mama sent me aka the gown and funyuns 

So, Friday some Boy Scouts of America executive big wig people who weren't members came to our class and asked us about our lives here at the MTC. They asked what we were all most excited for in terms of going to Denmark and everyone said something along the lines of "food, culture, and learning to love and teach the Danes" it was cool. I know that's what I'm the most excited for. 

Conference - boy oh boy what a weekend. So exciting to witness history of having 3 new apostles being called and just the spiritual powerhouses all those men and women are.

Some of my favorites (roll highlight reel)

>"It will all work out." - Sister Marriott. Whether it works out now or in the eternal perspective of things, it all works out.

>"What Lack I yet?" - Elder Lawrence. Because I love the aspect of improving myself and progressing towards a better me.

>"Don't you know that I know he has asthma? I'll take care of him - go prepare yourself and get yourself ready." - Elder Clark's story of the older couple going to the Philippines. Man did that speak to me really quite literally as my asthma has been killing me and I feel like Derek Zoolander but in a very real sense when I say "I think I got the black lung, pop." *as he proceeds to cough* but my cough is like I'm hacking up both my lungs and an elephant that somehow got lodged in there. I've been called to where I need to go.

>Pres Uchtdorf's talk (or story considering his whole talk WAS a story) from Women's Conference. Faith leads to hope which leads to confidence in the Lord which leads to charity. A-MEN.

a selfie from me after conference

>Elder Nelson's on the importance of women in the church and the responsibility we all have. 

>Elder Holland's talk on motherhood is the closest thing we have to understanding Christ's love for us. Whoa. Mom, I love you.

That Sunday night the all male accapella group "Vocal Chord" (maybe that's their name, I'm not sure) came and sang some diddies and hymns for us. It was cool..

Last night Sister Burton, the Relief Society General President came and talked to us. It was so cool hearing her speak in front of me about the importance of prophets. She told a story how her dad was a mission president in New Zealand when she was 13 and Pres. Monson, an apostle at the time came to visit. Her and her sisters were goignt o school 8 hours north of where her family was because of the anti-American sentiment during the time. But President Monson went out of his way to check on her and her sisters and sat and watched a basketball game with them which mortified the then 13 year olf Sister Burton haha. When she was called as relief society pres. for the church, she didn't know what else to say to Pres. Monson so relayed the story of "You probably don't remember but we watched a basketball game together."  Without hesitation Pres. Monson says "well, did we win?" Ugh I love our prophet and we need to not take him and his apostles for granted. They do what Christ would have done if He was still walking on the earth today. good stuff people.

Volleyball with the Italians has turned to volleyball with the Swedes. It's a blasty blast.

Last week, I was having a crazy bad coughing fit and was in the bathroom so as to not wake up Sister Keller (it was past 10:30 when the coughing ensued) well these sisters going to Germany, heard me dying and came out to check on me. They offerred me some benadryl and just as they were about to go to their room they realized they locked themselves out haha. it's 11:30 on a Thursday night and we're all in our PJ's chilling in the bathroom while I'm gagging from coughing and laughing so hard. They go on an adventure to the front desk to find a security gurad so they can get into their room and get me some benadryl. 

They did it and I got the drugs and everything worked out and now we're all best friends haha. 

Also - for those of you who know my living situation the past year and who my roommate was will find this funny. I have befriended 3 sisters from Korea. They love me. "SISTER CHESLEY HI!!!" They shout in their high super heavy korean accents whenever they see me. They think Ty is the cutest thing and just keep saying "in a year and a half, 15's not too young" Ugh they crack me up. I love them. Sister Kim, Sister Yun, and Sister Yang. 

I've also become super close with Sister Tukuafu from Tonga, going to the Philippines. She has such a positive outlook on life and about putting things in the past that have no place in your now. She's great.

There's also Sisters Wamura from Fiji who always ends with saying "Love you heaps sister Chesley!"

Here's me and the Korean sisters and Sister Tukuafu!

The diversity here is so sick. Also it's chill because now if I ever go to Tonga, Korea, or Fiji I have the hook ups of where to stay haha. 

M, our investigator, has been progressing so well and is doing so good. She's really incredible. We read the Book of Mormon together because it's hard to understand and stuff...she's great.

Danish is coming along, it's crazy but singing in danish helps a ton and I tried praying in english the other day and it did not work out haha my brain is not functioning in english mode. As the wise Cypress Hill once said, "insane in the membrane"

Anyways, love you all! Have a beautiful week and wonderful days! Look for the good and lovely in the world, there's so much of it out there!

Until next week (which will be my last p-day here...zoowee mama amirite?) 

also I have a vid swips that I need to figure out how to send to you all of me and some elders singing "Skal vi modle hvis vand floden" 

LOVE YOU GUYS MEGET KÆRELIGHED! JEG ELSKER JER HØJT!

Life is rad people. Make it the grooviest you can.

my view from my residence room

Love love love,

Søster Taylor Mariah Chesley